


All I Need Is You

by TotallyTinkerbell



Category: WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Canon Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26052421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TotallyTinkerbell/pseuds/TotallyTinkerbell
Summary: The first and following few days of Robbe's 17th year of life.
Relationships: Sander Driesen/Robbe IJzermans
Comments: 5
Kudos: 105





	1. (Re)birth

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the delay. I wanted to upload this on the 20th but I had some really bad wifi issues. Because I did have some extra creativity in the days that I struggled to fix the technical issue, I have decided to turn this oneshot into a 4-chaptered fic. So stay tuned for the rest of the story :)

When Robbe first opened his eyes on that morning in August, he groaned loudly. He looked at the daylight outside like it was personally attacking him, almost hissing like a vampire would. He covered his eyes with his arm, his nose burried in the crease of his elbow and used his other arm to gather enough of the thin sheet to pull over his head. 

In hindsight perhaps he shouldn’t have binged Altered Carbon until 3AM. But he justified it to himself by saying it was technically his birthday after midnight and he had earned free choice over what time he went to sleep. Being a resposible adult with a proper sleep schedule was something 18 year old Robbe could start dealing with one year from now. 

His eyes still closed, Robbe sighed deeply and he smiled to himself. It was his birthday. August 20th, fresh off a heatwave and with no answers on if they would be going back to school two weeks from now. In so many ways this birthday was different than any other one he had celebrated. But not for the unbearable weather or the ongoing pandemic. Instead, the biggest difference was made by the fact that this was the first birthday he actually felt like celebrating the way his life was, instead of dreading what it had become. 

And with that realization he blew out another big sigh, and threw off the sheet. He reached for his phone while rubbing his eyes, realizing that no matter the fact that he was tired, he was also curious as to who had already messaged him for his birthday. 

He knew that as soon as he went downstairs his mom would be all over him, and his dad would probably call in the evening just like he had called him up every few weeks to check in and see how things were going in general. Aside from his family members, Robbe knew that insta would soon fill up with notifications and birthday wishes. But there was one specific notification he was looking for, and when he saw it a big smile appeared on his face. 

[Sander Driesen has sent you a video] the notification read on facebook messenger. Robbe didn’t hesitate one moment to pres play, leaning back against his pillows with his mind going over the thousand possibilties of what this video could be.

His smile grew even bigger from the very first second he heard Sander sing, and he listened through the entire thing, ending with the promise of seeing each other later. Which was the part of the day that Robbe would fast forward to right now if he could, because he couldn’t wait to see Sander in person. And he was so glad he had convinced his mom to let Sander stay over which was something she had been very reluctant towards all summer. 

But that was tonight. And for right now, Robbe still had a whole day ahead of him with no idea how to pass the time. He then picked his phone back from his chest where he had dropped if after feeling a bit overwhelmed, and he scrolled through the rest of his notifications. 

The fist thing he noticed was that all of the pictures his friends shared were pictures from months ago, back when parties and fun times hanging out were not under a set of regulations or guidelines. It was another thing that was in huge contrast compared to the birthday wishes he received last year. This time around, the person he was on the pictures was the best version of himself he had been in a long long time.

And that was an evolution he was still processing on occasion. There were still days where he’d wake up and he was skeptical that this was actually his life now. Sometimes he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe that over the course of the past year when he was aged 16 years old so much had changed. The past year he had opened up his life to other people to the point where he now received so much love in return that it felt overwhelming. 

His whole life had changed, and it felt like yesterday when he would scoff at stupid silly messages on facebook written by his aunts to wish him a happy birthday. He would roll his eyes at his grandma asking when he was coming to see her when she’d call to wish him a happy birthday. The Robbe from 365 days ago was so angry at the world he couldn’t even love himself enough to properly celebrate the day he was born himself, let alone other people.

And where he previously had anger about celebrating his past birthdays in a broken family, he was now grateful that he was on talking terms with both of his parents. He had friends who loved him and would go out of their way to post something for his birthday on instagram out of a limited selection of recent pictures taken together. And then there was Sander. 

It seemed like Sander was the ghostwriter for the boyfriend manual, because at every single milestone he made Robbe feel the same butterflies as he had when they were at a small supermarket in Lombardsijde spinning around on a shopping cart.

Robbe bit his lip and then grabbed his phone, deciding that this was the type of situation where he had bragging rights, because he simply had the best boyfriend in the history of boyfriends. Opening his editing software he posted the video to his story, and added the captions before he pressed publish with a grin on his face. 

Then, just as he was about to continue scrolling down his feed, he heard knocking on the door. 

“Robbe? I saw you were online on messenger... Are you awake?” his mom asked from the hallway.

Robbe smiled and sat up on his bed, before clearing his throat. “Eh, yeah. Come in.” Robbe said, already smiling even before his mom entered his room with a proud smile herself.

“Happy birthday my sweet boy!” she sing-songed while walking into the room she brought her tiny baby home to a little under 17 years ago. 

“Thanks, mama.”

“Oh dear look at you.” his mom said, reaching for his arm and squeezing his bicep. “You’re growing so fast. You’re becoming a man in front of my very eyes.” she said tearfully.

“Mom...” Robbe smiled, reaching for her hand. He knew she would be emotional in a moment like this. But sadness and tears were not exactly the birthday sentiment Robbe was going for. “I’m 17, so if it’s any comfort, I think I’ll be done growing soon.” Robbe said while rubbing his thumb over her wrist gently. 

“I know that.” His mom sniffed, and she nodded. Then she smiled too. “Your dad doesn’t really have tall genetics in his family so all this is just your grandpa Gerard on my side.” his mom said while maternally touching his cheek. Robbe knew that one of the most comforting things to his mom was the fact that he lived with her after she got back from the hospital. That he’d always be closer to her than he was with his dad. 

Robbe leaned into the touch, another thing he wouldn’t have done one year ago. He welcomed it, because he knew that his mom’s love hadn’t always been visible and physical. He knew there were times where she was so at conflict with herself and the thoughts in her head that she couldn’t give him the attention a child needs from their mom. And so he appreciated it when she did so now. They had both come so far.

“Any plans for today?” she then asked, while pulling at his sheets to straighten them, attempting to make the question seem casual. “I mean, I know you probably don’t wanna spend time with the woman who labored for 11 hours to get you out into this world but...”

Robbe groaned and fell backwards on his bed. “Oh please no not that story again. You’ve told me that one 16 times now.” he said, covering his ears. So maybe he was just like any other 16, or 17 year old boy in the sense that he didn’t want to hear the graphically detailed story of his birth. You couldn’t exactly blame him.

“I’ve told you that story with good reason. You were causing trouble from day one, young man...”

Robbe smiled, because he kind of enjoyed the little banter. He had missed it when he was living at the flatshare and could only see her at the institution. 

His mom got up and walked over to push the curtains further to the side. “If I recall correctly it was also pretty hot the day you were born. Your dad used it as an excuse all the time. He claimed all your baby onesies were too hot for you to wear but in reality he just couldn’t get the buttons to close with those giant manhands of his.”

Robbe hummed, thinking about his dad for a moment and then grabbing his phone to see if he had texted. 

"He’ll call tonight. I reminded him on messenger last night, just in case though...” Robbe’s mom smiled. 

But the fact that his mom had to remind his dad of their son’s birthday was not the part that stood out to Robbe. “You texted dad? You two talk?” Robbe frowned. 

“Well of course.” his mom said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We’re still married, technically. And we still have common elements in our lives. You for example. He asked me to put fresh flowers on his mom’s grave at the cementary... stuff like that.” his mom explained. 

“Oh.” Robbe said, frowning a bit. He shrugged. It did make sense. He knew that for a while now his parent’s marriage was no longer one built on romance, but he had never thought about what was left of it in the aftermath. In his mind they were essentially divorced. 

“Now get dressed and then get downstairs. I’ll make you your favorite breakfast.” 

Robbe leaned back against the pillows and hummed in agreement. “Will be down in a minute. I’m replying to some people first. But thanks in advance, I’m kind of starving.” he said, before he continued to like the posts on his wall and navigate through already over a dozen of messages and insta notifications. 


	2. Birthday Wishes

Once breakfast with his mom was over Robbe allowed himself to just chill in his room for a few hours. He played some videogames on a stream with his friends, his definition of a perfect birthday morning. Then for lunch he actually met up with Jens in person, and they ate kebab over at the skatepark. 

That’s where Jens joined the group of people that had been asking if there was going to be a party to celebrate later on in the year. Like every other time someone had asked, Robbe replied with a shrug. “Maybe later in the year.” he said, more as a way to give Jens an answer to his question. But in reality Robbe did not really have specific plans or intentions. And that was mostly due to a conversation he had a while ago.

_“I don’t know if I really need to celebrate, to be honest.” Sander said shrugging when Robbe listed all of the things they had missed out on. A proper celebration for Sander’s 19th birthday was right at the top of the list, accompanied by watching the pride parade in the city and being able to go to festivals together. Daydreaming about the summer of 2020 that could have been was perhaps bittersweet, but It was a way to pass the time while they were doing the dishes together._

_It was also effective at building up anticipation to when things would finally be allowed again. Gatherings with more than ten people, staying out until morning wandering through the narrow streets of old Antwerp instead of the 11pm curfew..._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“I mean... my birthday was a while ago. I don’t need some sort of delayed celebration. I’m more about the sentiment on the day itself rather than the partying.” Sander said, still focussed on rinsing the plates that were being put in front of him. When Robbe stopped that robotic movement of handing down soapy utensils, Sander looked up. “What?”_

_“You don’t wanna celebrate your birthday when this is all over? Not at all?” he frowned._

_Sander smiled, because he couldn’t help but find Robbe’s confusion endearing. He still occasionally forgot how Robbe had yet to turn 18 and his birthdays were still meaningful. And Sander hated the idea of ruining that sentiment, but for him that simply wasn’t really the case anymore. So he went with the best way he knew how to continue the conversation._

_“I mean I’m not gonna say no to a full day of devoted attention from you.” Sander said, quickly squeezing his hands into the towel on his shoulder and then stepping in behind where Robbe was standing. “You’re all I need to make any day special. So just us, that would be enough for me.” Sander whispered in his boyfriend’s ear before pressing a sweet kiss to his neck._

_“Just us?” Robbe asked after an appreciative hum._

_“Yeah. In, like, a beach cabin all to ourselves...” Sander dreamed out loud. “I want to relive that entire week but just... being able to have you the way I wanted to back then.”_

_Robbe circled around, drying his hands by the towel on his boyfriend’s shoulder before pulling him in for a kiss. “Don’t say stuff like that.” he warned._

_“Or what?” Sander challenged with a raised eyebrow._

_“Or I might actually hold you up on that.” Robbe smiled._

It wasn’t until he saw all the pictures of other people on their staycation, while he was liking messages on his facebook wall, that he actually started entertaining the idea of the beachside holiday they had dreamed out loud of weeks ago. 

Despite the situation in Antwerp, or maybe even because of it, they had followed the government guidelines very strictly to the point that they deserved a reward. On top of that the money he hadn’t spent on festivals and beer this summer was just sitting in his bank account thanks to a monthly deposit from his dad. 

And so after dinner, Robbe had settled in on the couch with his computer doing some research about what was actually possible when it came to tourism within the belgian borders. He decided to air on the safe side and not tell his mom he was considering it when she asked him what he was up to. 

“Just scrolling... Looking at memes.” Robbe shrugged. 

“Memes...” his mom echoed, while grabbing her audiobook device from the coffee table. “Well, I hope you had a good birthday today. I’ll be upstairs with my headphones and tomorrow morning I’ll be at yoga practice so you’re on your own. Oh and tell Sander I said hi.” his mom said as she walked towards the stairs. 

“I will. Night mom.”

“Night Robbe.” his mom spoke from the hallway.

Robbe listened to her footsteps on the stairs, then watched as the light was turned off and the door closed above him. He then grabbed his phone, noticing it was a minute to 9PM, and he let his impatience win by refreshing the chat. But the last message as still Sander sending him ‘do I get to eat some leftovers?’ with a wink smiley and Robbe replying with ‘if we have time for that’ and a wink smiley in return.

Robbe closed his eyes, trying not to think of all the reasons why Sander would have not messaged him in the last six minutes, and when he opened them again he returned to look at the page on his laptop. He had narrowed down his search, their student budget only making it affordable to stay in places without the ocean view, but that didn’t really matter much. 

They could just take the short walk to the beach and enjoy watching the waves together. They’d be curled up in their coats or even a blanket because it would be fall by then, but that was okay too. Maybe next summer they could go back to france and Robbe could teach Sander how to surf. Although if it was anything like pulling Sander on top of a skateboard, Robbe knew he was in for a few weeks of convincing and bargaining.

Robbe was pulled out of the daydream when he noticed the screen of his phone displaying an incoming call. He picked up right away, and moved the computer out of his lap. “Are you here?” he asked.

“So impatient...” Sander smirked on the other line. Robbe could tell he was smirking even when he couldn’t see him. “I’m at Mechelsesteenweg. Tram is delayed. But it’s okay. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Have you been counting down, like I said?”

“Of course. Every minute.” Robbe said, checking his phone to see it was 9.17PM. It wasn’t totally true, in fact the opposite was the case because he didn’t want to create certain expectations for himself. But Sander being later than the agreed upon time had caused for more anticipation. “Just hurry. Mama went upstairs with her book so we have the downstairs to ourselves.” Robbe said, lowering his voice at the end of his sentence.

The other side of the line was silent for a little bit, before Sander cleared his throat and Robbe could just imagine the look on his boyfriend’s face with that insinuation. “Are you trying to tell me you have birthday wishes for me to grant?”

“Maybe a few. Just get over here so I can hold you.”

“I’ll be there soon.” Sander promised. 

Soon was defined as 12 minutes because that’s how long it took before Robbe heard the knock on the glass, and he jumped up from where he was sitting at the bottom of the stairs to hurry towards the front door. 

“Finally.” Robbe gasped. 

“Hi. Yeah sorry about the tram stuff.” Sander said, stepping into the hallway. “But I’m here now. That’s what’s important.” he said while shaking off his leather jacket. Robbe smiled and handed him a coat hanger, then waiting until Sander got his shoes off.

“And I get to wish you a happy birthday in person.” Sander then said, quickly approaching Robbe and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. “Happy birthday baby. I’m so glad I can be here tonight.”

Robbe hummed, breathing in the scent of his boyfriend and then leaning back a little so he could look at him. “I’m glad you’re here too. Best part of my day.” Robbe admitted. 


	3. Birthday Cake

Sander grinned and he moved his hand to Robbe’s side, guiding his back flush against the wall. Their lips found each other with ease like they had done a million times, and it took Robbe a few minutes of just lazily making out to realize they were still in the hallway. So when he did, he reluctantly broke the kiss apart. 

“ _Kom_. Do you want something to drink?” Robbe asked, taking Sander’s hand and guiding him into the kitchen. He decided that being a good host and boyfriend might be the best way to pass some time. In the meantime he could figure out a way to discover Sander’s current interest in how they could spend the remaining days of summer. And if he was really lucky he could squeeze out of Sander if he’d be up for a beach trip in the fall without making it obvious he was planning something.

All of those things were stuff he would prefer to get out of the way before they would without doubt end up in his room upstairs and his mind occupied by other things.

“Wait. It’s your birthday... You just chill on the couch. I already know where everything is anyways.” Sander then said, stopping Robbe in his tracks. Robbe felt the small squeeze in his shoulder, and he closed his eyes when Sander pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s your night baby. Let me take care of you.” Sander said, giving him a reassuring nod.

“Eh... okay.” Robbe frowned, a bit unsure about letting others serve him in his own house. But then again he had no problem just watching Sander be domestic, and he took his previous spot on the couch. Robbe loved how Sander was so well acquainted with the house already, grabbing the beers from the fridge and grabbing a bottle opener from a drawer like he was at him own home.

“So how was the skatepark?” Sander then decided to ask, pulling Robbe out of his daydream. 

Robbe blinked, and thought back to the afternoon he’d spent. “It was fun, yeah.” Robbe smiled. Then he watched Sander approach him in the living room with two chilled beers. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. _Schol_ , to your birthday.” Sander said while he cheered his bottle against Robbe’s. 

Robbe copied the movement, and then took a big sip. It felt refreshing, somehow most of the 31 degree temperature having snuck onto them in the evening while the afternoon was pretty clouded. There were pros and cons to celebrating his birthday in August, but chilling on the couch with his boyfriend while the living room window blew a soft breeze in was certainly a plus. 

And when Sander wrapped his arm around him, Robbe knew it was an invitation to lean in against him, and so he did. “I like this. I like ending the day with you...” Robbe spoke out loud, the words leaving his lips almost without him realizing. He then looked up at Sander, who smiled. 

“Yeah?”

Robbe nodded, resting his head on Sander’s shoulder again. “Yeah. I mean... It was a simple day. Just chill. I had breakfast with my mom. Spent some time with friends, gaming, skating... And then I get to end my birthday with you. So yeah... I can get on board with this every year from now on. Maybe you had a point when you said you didn’t really need a party...”

Sander chuckled, and for a moment Robbe guessed why that was but he decided he didn’t have to know and he took another sip from his beer. “Are you staying tomorrow afternoon? Maybe we can go to the skatepark together?” Robbe decided to ask. 

“Tomorrow?” Sander asked, before guiding his own drink to his lips. “Eh... I don’t know. I have a pretty full weekend planned.” Sander said, before looking at Robbe and giving him a soft smile. “But you can consider it as one of your birthday wishes granted for me to join once the retake exams are over, deal.” Sander promised. 

“Awesome.” Robbe grinned, before sealing the deal with a kiss. And he realized that the evening was the icing on his birthday cake. 

He wouldn’t feel right about spending the day any differently, because he had several people in his life that were important to him. Spending the morning with his mom had been really nice. Chilling with his friends had also contributed to making this day great. Going through all the birthday posts and texting people he didn’t get to see in person today was also important. And the day wouldn’t have felt the same if Sander hadn’t suggested coming over tonight a few days ago.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” Robbe smiled against his boyfriend’s lips. 

“You already said that.” Sander smiled, giving the birthday boy another kiss because how could he not find it adorable that Robbe was so happy that he wanted to say it twice.

“Yes. But, like...” Robbe sighed, sitting up a bit more proper. “I mean... I’ve never had a... relationship before. On my birthday.” he explained. He then looked at Sander, and kind of hoped that he was making sense. He just felt this sudden urge to explain that this was new territory for him. Despite the fact that they had assumingly crossed off all the ‘new’ things Robbe got to experience recently. 

“It’s just nice to... Like.... not have the day end with me in bed by myself.” Robbe said, then shaking his head a bit dismissively. Perhaps it was stupid to mention it. Perhaps having a boyfriend or a girlfriend on a day like this really made no difference. And Robbe purposefully had not created too much anticipation exactly for that reason.

“Well you won’t spend the night by yourself. I’m gonna be right there.” Sander said, squeezing Robbe’s leg. He then gently turned Robbe’s face back towards him. “I’m gonna give you the best birthday evening you deserve.” Sander spoke in a low voice.

And poof, there went all the air in Robbe’s lungs. He was rendered speechless, his jaw a bit dropped. He blinked before Sander gave him a smirk, making Robbe vaguely register that Sander knew exactly what he was doing. But Robbe didn’t care. It was his birthday. His cake and he’d eat it too. “Then what are you waiting for?” Robbe smiled, already putting his beer bottle on the coffee table. 

The lips that were previously lazily sipping from a beer were soon exploring each other and the hands that were holding them prior were now tugging at each other’s shirts. Their movements were almost part of a choreographed dance. Their ability to avoid awkward laughs or mishaps with shoelaces had been a skill they perfected recently, but it was something that had grown over time and with practice.

The thing was that there was only so much they could really do on Robbe’s living room couch, and the predicted tip-toeing up to Robbe’s move took place soon after. Robbe carefully closed the door to his bedroom behind him before giving a small thumbs up and then closing the distance between them again. 

Luckily for Robbe, Sander was not one to make empty promises and by the time the end of his birthday was marked by the clock striking midnight, Robbe felt absolutely loved from head to toe. 

“Tired?” Sander asked, softly tracing patterns on Robbe’s back. 

Robbe blew out a breath, and then nodded with his eyes closed. “Kind of. You’re also making me more sleepy by doing that so if I don’t respond in 5 minutes...”

Sander laughed, and pressed a kiss to Robbe’s back before pulling the sheets up. “It’s okay. Let’s sleep, then. It will be good for you to be well-rested tomorrow.”

Sander positioned himself next to Robbe, their eyes on the same line and Robbe smiled faintly with what energy he had left. “Best birthday ever.” he whispered, before his eyes closed on their own accord and he fell asleep, the last thing he registered being a soft ‘I love you’ whispered in his ear.


	4. Birthday Surprise

Robbe’s hair had been growing out all summer. It had grown a bit wild, and it looked even more like a chaotic mess when he was asleep. So when Sander blew air on his boyfriend’s face, the brown curls made Robbe scrunch up his nose. The tickle sensation caused him to float somewhere between conciousness and sleep, and he breathed in through his nose, looking for the comfort of his dream and burrying his face in the pillow again.

Then he heard a soft chuckle, and he felt fingers grazing through his hair. “Good morning.”

Suddenly Robbe’s annoyance melted like snow before the sun, and he suddenly remembered last night and the perfect ending to his birthday. And when he opened his eyes, he was looking at his boyfriend who had kept his promise of being right there when he woke up. 

Robbe realized he was right. It made all the difference to be able to go to sleep with the person you loved on the day that centered all around you. But perhaps it was even better to just wake up next to that person on a totally normal day like this one.

Robbe could see the small insecurity on Sander’s face and her ealized he probably had his grumpy morning face on, a bad morning habbit he needed to get rid of. He hummed, rubbing his hand over his face. “... Morning.” Robbe said, then smiling with a relaxed in and ex-hale. 

“Sleep well?” Sander asked, while his fingertips continued to play around with Robbe’s hair. 

“Better than the last few days, yeah.” Robbe nodded. Evaluating the abscence of ache in his eyelids and the fact that he was not immediatly on the verge of falling back asleep meant he was pretty well rested. But that didn’t mean he was ready to get out of bed and go run a marathon or anything, and he allowed himself to keep his eyes closed a little longer. “Are you waking me up to tell me you’re getting my croissants?” Robbe asked, reaching for the body next to him on the bed because there was too much distance for his liking. 

Robbe smiled when Sander intertwined their hands.

“Actually... I thought we could get those on the road.” Sander then spoke, the smirk on his lips revealing that he was well aware he was dropping a bomb by making plans for them to go somewhere.

Robbe hadn’t missed the tone of his boyfriend’s words either, his eyes blinked open and he was wide awake. “What? What do you mean on the road?” he asked with a frown. He had already kind of settled on just spending at least the entire morning in bed like this.

Sander then reached for the nightstand. “I didn’t show up empty handed last night. I just wanted to surprise you.” Sander said, handing Robbe the envelope. 

Robbe stared at it in confusion, the only person handing him enveloppes on his birthday being his grandmother. He could only hope inside wasn’t a weird birthday card with a dog on it. But it wasn’t a card. And there was no dog on the picture. Instead there were 5 stars on the front page of a brochure. A beachsside hotel. One of the options he had been considering twelve hours ago. 

“It’s five stars on booking so I’m guessing the manager will have everything we could ask for.” Sander said with a small wink, a throwback to the first time they met that neither of them had forgotten.

“You got us a staycation? At the beach?” Robbe asked in disbelief. “Sander, I....” Robbe blinked, looking back at the information on the reservation page. “Two nights. All-inclusive... holy shit.”

“And train tickets.” Sander said, gesturing to the disgarded enveloppe. 

“Echt? For us?” Robbe asked as he grabbed the tickets. Double two-way tickets to Oostende.

Sander nodded and tilted his head. “I told you it was all I needed. It was a promise.” he said while reaching out and softly stroking Robbe’s arm.

Robbe looked up with a fond smile, and he leaned in for a kiss before he returned to looking at the information on the page. “I don’t know what to say. This is the second time you’ve booked us a hotel...” Robbe said. 

“You’re saying I’m developping a brand?” Sander chuckled. 

“Well... You’re certainly raising the bar pretty high on the boyfriend material scale.” Robbe scoffed with a smile. “But I think it’s perfect. So you don’t have to worry, I have zero complaints.”

“And you’re not thinking about a way to even things out either, right? Cause I know you and I know you’re not used to people doing things for you...” Sander said while moving his movements up to touch Robbe’s cheek.

“I mean... It’s overwhelming, yeah. But I could never complain about getting to spend time with you.” Robbe said while still looking at the five star logo. But then he looked up, smiling. “So I’m just going to see this as us celebrating both our birthdays.” he then clevverly said.

Robbe gave Sander a challenging look, and Sander gave him an unamused look in return but eventualy his features softened. “Okay. Works for me, as long as you agree to go.” Sander said. 

“I’m in.” Robbe nodded, before putting the envelope to the side and getting up on his knees. He bracketed them on either side of Sander’s body, and leaned in for a kiss. “Thank you for the surprise. I love it.” he said, then sitting up again but keeping the same position. “In fact.... I was looking at staycation options for the beach just last night. So you sort of beat me to it.” Robbe winked. 

“Well it was my idea to begin with.” Sander said. “Credit where credit’s due.”

Robbe rolled his eyes and Sander poked him in his side for it. “Hey. Credit is important… You have to respect the creativity of the ar- ”

“I would never disrespect the creativity. I know it’s your thing...” Robbe cut in with a small smile. “So Yes. You totally get credit for this trip.” Robbe said, 

“That’s better.” Sander hummed with a pleased smile. He cashed in his reward in the form of a long kiss, similar to the soft abandon of kisses he had given Robbe yesterday for his birthday. But then he realized there was a reason he had woken him up, and he’d waited as long as possible to do so, meaning there wasn’t really time for delays. “And as much as I’d like to do this again.” Sander said sliding his hands over Robbe’s legs. “We should pack and get to the train station if we want to get on the train before noon.”

“Okay. But only because I want those croissants for breakfast.” Robbe said, moving off the bed and walking towards the shower. 

“I promise.” Sander said, before he threw a shirt over his face and he then started to look around the room. Sander gathered all his stuff with quick effecient motions, and he grabbed one of Robbe’s backpacks to put some stuff inside for a one weekend getaway. 

They didn’t need much though. The whole point of the trip being that they only needed each other to be happy. But perhaps a toothbrush and some clothes wasn’t excessive. 

45 minutes later Sander dropped that same backpack onto the seat that had a red ‘x’ on it on the train to Oostende. Certain seats were marked with that symbol to assure social distancing on the train, but Sander observed that the train was not too crowded while he waited for Robbe to take the window seat before he sat down himself. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed play on his bowie remastered playlist, and he smiled when he saw Robbe offer his earphone splitter. “You sure you wanna listen to Bowie on the entire trainride?”

“There are worse things.” Robbe teased with a wink. “Just don’t make me embarassed by singing along. There’s other people on this train too.”

Sander scoffed in response, much to Robbe’s delight. “I see you turning 17 also made you a lot more sarcastic...”

“Shut up...” Robbe laughed, while playfully punching Sander’s shoulder. 

They got to Oostende at a little before noon, and despite having had croissants on the trainride Robbe insisted they got waffles as they passed by a waffle stand. Knowing their check-in time was 7PM tonight, Sander suggested eating them while they made their way to the beach. They were licking their thumbs of the powdered suggar as they walked through the dunes, the sweet flavour mixing with the salty air coming from the ocean.

“Here?” Robbe asked, noticing the spot he was standing wasn’t very windy but still had a decent view. 

“Sure.” Sander said, then reaching for the one beach towel Robbe suggested he packed. 

They settled on it like it was a picknik blanket, with Robbe finishing the last of his waffle in silence, just enjoying the flavors that reminded him of childhood trips to his aunt and uncle in Brussels.

He looked up due to a sudden touch, and Robbe saw Sander drift into his artist headspace as his thumb stroked his temple. Robbe felt the same warm glow in his chest as he had felt many times before whenever he was on the receiving end of Sander’s artistic gaze.

It was still something he was getting used to though. The fact that someone liked to capture him. On a sketchbook with a pencil, or on a canvas. Charcoal, watercolor, Robbe had pretty much seen versions of himself in all forms of arts safe a David by Michealangelo. Even the grand romantic gesture of his face on the side of the waagnatie building. Except for the mural, Sander always asked Robbe if it was okay if he drew him. Especially when they spent time together. So before Sander could ask if it was okay to pull out his sketchbook, Robbe smiled. “Go ahead. I know you get creative at places like this.”

Beachside drawing sessions were not that far off from riverside artistic expressions, and Robbe decided to just listen to the seagulls, resting his head on the backpack while he let Sander do his thing. When he was finished, Robbe would see the end result, because Sander always willingly shared his work with him.


End file.
